Hearing devices are used to compensate for reductions in the hearing ability of patients. Hearing devices consist of one or more microphones, an electronic circuit, which comprises at least one analog or digital amplifier, and one or more loudspeakers as well as an energy source for supplying these components.
During practical use, hearing devices are constantly exposed to liquid and contamination influences. These influences may have different causes; on the one hand patient perspiration and cerumen formation, on the other hand environmental influences such as dust or the effect of water when swimming or undertaking other types of water sport for instance, or if the patient carelessly drops the hearing device into a vessel filled with water or another liquid.
To prevent damage to or destruction of the hearing device as a result of water ingress and thus electrical short-circuits frequently associated therewith, hearing devices were previously designed to be water-tight so that water ingress can not take place. The disadvantage of this is for instance that complicated membrane arrangements are needed in the region of the microphone and loudspeaker in order to seal these regions and allow transmission of sound waves from/to outside the hearing device in such cases.
It is thus an object of the present invention to specify a hearing device in which it is possible to dispense with a water-tight design.